Model Train Journal

Our first weekend photos of 2019!!!! Hope everyone had a good new year!

Now that holiday season is over, I can get back to working on the layout. The last few weeks I've been painting some buildings to make them look more realistic & blend in. On my wife's suggestion, I've done away with the giant oversized 154 crossing signals & ordered more scale sized ones too.

Here's a 2018 leading a coal drag past a new & improved barn & 157 station platform.





added a new siding with a a grain/feed distributor & painted the fire station a more realistic color.





a 224 leads a freight past a more subdued painted 145 gateman



Hillside tower sporting a fresh coat of paint


224 approaches a freshly painted 133 station. Brick work on the platform still needs to be painted.


2018 passing a 157 platform off my old layout -


Got rid of the S curve on the outside main & added a spur w/ a factory.
It still needs to be painted. Not sure I 100% like this building here, so I may swap it out for another industry. I was originally trying to keep all the buildings plasticville, but I 'm very tempted to just get some of the more realistic models out there instead of spending hours trying to make these realistic.


My Dad's trusty old 616 NW2 spots a NYC boxcar to unload some goods.




NS Dash-9 9316 leads an eastbound stack train through Gallitzin, PA on the west slope of the Pittsburgh Line.


NS 201 crosses over the Roanoke River with an increasingly rare SD70M on the point on the Christiansburg District.


The first shot of 2019 finds me in Nashville, TN as CSX AC44CW 11 departs Kayne Ave yard w/ a string of Tropicana OJ reefers on Q143

Hey Christopher,

Glad to see the tin tunnel has found a place back on the layout...it looks great!



Are you planning to flock all of the green-painted areas? Not suggesting it, just wondering.

Have you ever noticed the people profiles on the interiors of the windows of the K-Line factory?



If you light the interior they will show up (even though the windows are injection plastic). The problem is that the entire building is a bit translucent, so the light shows up through the walls as well. That can be mitigated by carefully painting the interior black, or installing a foil liner. I have one of these, and eventually I plan to use it...not sure if I'll light the interior.

Healey

Yes, I plan on landscaping everything.

The K line factory is driving me nuts, as I didn't realize the windows are part of the wall. The whole thing is going to be a PITA to paint that way.
I'm seriously looking into getting some buildings from Menards instead and replacing these.

One of the local HO modular clubs erects a massive display at the nearly vacant shopping mall here each Christmas. Their stuff is really well done. Here's a shot of the prize-winning module for 2018:



These guys are great fun to talk to, and their modelling skills are pretty sharp.

Healey

Quite nice and a little different for a modular layout.
I also like the lighting. Did they do that for the whole layout?

Yes, desk-lamps all the way around. I'll try to get a few more pics before they disassemble it tomorrow.

My first shot of 2019. CN L502 passes the historic Grand Trunk Western depot in Durand, MI on the CN Flint Subdivision. L502 is a large daily road local (50+ cars) which switches all the yards from Battle Creek, MI to Toledo, OH. Here they are passing the depot to shove into Durand Yard to interchange with the Huron & Eastern Railroad. To do so they need to use the northeast quadrant of the wye to access the yard, shown in the foreground. After their work is completed they will head south on the CN Holly Subdivision.

The leased GECX C40-8W units will be disappearing soon, as CN is receiving new ET44AC units from GE and is slowly returning the leasers.

Man, those HO layouts sure do look nice!